Anthony Davis has been one of the stars of the NBA for the past decade. But one of the biggest knocks on his game has been his availability, which has led many to categorize him as injury prone and physically unreliable. But in looking at his game logs from this season and the tail end of the last, you can see that Davis has been available and played in 78 of the last 82 games that the Lakers have played.
Anthony Davis Has Played In 78 Of Last 82 Lakers Games
Anthony Davis has played in 78 of the Lakers last 82 games 💪
[via MiopTop / Reddit] pic.twitter.com/IxcrSo6yDl— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) December 28, 2023
The streak began late last year. Davis missed a huge chunk of time in the middle of the season when he was forced to hit the bench for 20 games while he recovered from a foot injury, adding to his aura of unavailability. But since the start of February 2023, there haven’t been many players who have been more reliable for the Lakers.
He played in 31 of the team’s final 33 games last regular season, and then played in the 7 vs 8 Play-In Tournament game as well. During the 16-game playoff run for the Lakers, Davis was available throughout. Then, to start this season, he has been active in 29 of his team’s first 31 games, plus the In-Season Tournament final, making it 78 of the last 82.
Playing that many games in a full NBA season is almost unheard of these days, and especially for a star player. But Anthony Davis is doing what he can to shake the “injury-prone” label, and is doing an outstanding job of it. He is averaging his usual 25 points per game so far this season, and his 12.4 rebounds per is tops in the league.
Can The Team Turn Around Their Current Fortunes?
Anthony Davis sinks the triple to cap off the Lakers’ 10-2 run!
📺 #NBAXmas on ABC & ESPN pic.twitter.com/D6UG0vL61N
— NBA (@NBA) December 25, 2023
The team has been struggling, though. They started off the year 14-9 and were in the middle of the pack in the Western Conference standings, but have lost 6 of their last 9 games after the IST Final, and are currently just a half-game up on the Warriors, who are in 11th place and on the outside of the playoff picture.
The Lakers are struggling with shooting and offensive production, as they rank 21st in 3-point percentage and 17th in points per game. There is a noticeable drop-off between the team’s two stars and the rest of the supporting cast, as D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves are the next two scoring options for Los Angeles.
The Lakers are huge favorites for tonight’s game against the Hornets. But their schedule is tough for the first week of 2024, as they will take on the Timberwolves, Pelicans, Heat, Grizzlies, and Clippers between now and January 7th.
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